NOTE MAKING

Notes are the listing out, in brief, the most important points, facts and ideas and arguments contained in a
speech, a book or a magazine article, etc. so as to aid memory. They are referred to whenever necessary and
may be reproduced in the desired manner. Note making fulfils four useful functions:
o To keep information at our disposal for ready reference.
o To help reconstruct what's said / written so as to accelerate recall.
o Comes in handy to deliver a speech, revise a lesson, etc.
o To understand a passage better and to organise one's thoughts systematically.

CHARACTERISTICS of GOOD NOTES:

1. BREVITY: To be short, compact and to the point; full sentences unnecessary; words, phrases and topics
enough — grammatically correct English not needed; punctuation not to be used; helping verbs, articles,
prepositions and conjunctions to be avoided as far as possible; examples and figurative speeches to be
eliminated.
2. RELEVANCE: Relevant facts / complete information to be given based on purpose for which notes are
made.
3. CLARITY: Shouldn't be ambiguous as failure to decipher notes at a later stage renders whole labour
useless,
4. NOTE FORM: Information to be noted in a logical sequence, usually in 3-indent form; to be divided or
sub-divided using figures, letters, etc. If there is further division to be made in a very minor point,
separate it with dashes rather than commas. Maintain uniformity whichever style you use.
Decimal System: The divisions may also be:
Main sections : 1, 2, 3, etc. Main sections : 1, 2, 3, etc.
Sub-sections : 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. Sub-sections : a), b), c), etc.
Sub-sub sections : 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, etc. Sub-sub sections : (i), (ii), (iii) etc.
5.ABBREVIATIONS and SYMBOLS [at least 4] — standard recognisable ones — to be used to save time.
o Common abbreviations — Sc. (science), Dr. (doctor), etc.
o Capitalised initial letters [acronyms] — UNO, AIR, LIC, U.K., A.P., MNCs, etc.
o First few letters of a word [contractions] (add 's' if its plural is to be shown) — info. (information),
pts (points), diag. (diagram), fig. (figure), imp. (important), etc.
o First few and the last few letters of a word, with apostrophe in between [short forms] or a
superscript — w/out (without), writ'g (writing), readg. invrs’n
o Customary to put a full stop after an abbreviation which does not end with the last letter of the word
(Co. — company), but to leave out the full stop in other cases (yr — year).
o While making your own abbreviations:
 keep the main sounds of the word — edu. / edn (education), progm (programme), etc.
 retain the suffix — educn’l (educational), progrs’v (progressive), etc.

'greater than', / for 'or', w/ for 'with', +ve for 'positive', ↑ for 'rising', ∴ for 'therefore', ∵ for 'because /
o Symbols: & for 'and', i.e. for 'that is', viz for 'namely', @ for 'at the rate of, ® for 'leading to', > for

TITLE since'

FORMAT: 1. Main point

1.1 Sub-point
1.1.1 Sub-sub-point
1.1.2 Sub-sub-point
1.2 Sub-point KEY to Abbreviations
1.3 Sub-point
1. Univ. — university
2. Main point 2. Govt — government
2.1 Sub-point
2.1.1 Sub-sub-point
3. Main point
3.1 Sub-point
3.2 Sub-point
 The SUMMARY should be of roughly 50 words.
MARKING SCHEME
Note Making — 5 marks Summary — 3 marks
○ Title — 1 ○ Content — 2
○ Numbering and Indenting — 1 ○ Expression — 1
○ Key to Abbreviations — 1
○ Notes — 2

STEPS to MAKING NOTES

 SKIM — quickly read the passage to get an idea what it is about.
 Write the word ‘TITLE’ before writing the actual title. Give the passage a suitable Title but only after
having read the whole passage thoroughly. DO NOT use abbreviations in the title.
 If possible, the title should not be just one word but should extend to a small phrase.
 SCAN — read the passage carefully and underline important information / words and phrases.
 Identify and note down the main facts to be put down as Main Points / Main Headings. Use minimum 3-
4 Main Points and maximum 5.
 REMEMBER, the title and the main points / headings must be different.
 Indent the notes properly, using the 3-INDENT format.
 In a rough draft, write the points without full forms of the verbs.
 Verbs may be changed to noun forms and Main Points can be begun with them.
 Add the sub-points / sub-sub-points which may support the main points.
 Two or three related ideas may be combined / grouped [even if in different paragraphs] under one point.
 No attempt should be made to put all the information present in the passage into note form. Edit and
compress as much as reasonably possible. Precision is very important.
 Skip examples if there are too many.
 When listing points, grammatical correctness may be ignored —
 replace complete sentences with phrases
 omit articles, prepositions, helping verbs, etc. but not at the expense of clarity
 Use of colons and long dash permitted, but only once per line. [Avoid doing so for every line.]
 DO NOT put a full stop at the end of any point as it is not a complete sentence.
 Organise the notes neatly, underlining the abbreviations.
 As a general rule, only sub-points and sub-sub-points need be abbreviated, NOT the Main Points.
 4-8 commonly recognised abbreviations may be used. DO NOT abbreviate every word. ONE
abbreviation per point is enough.
 A correctly numbered ABBREVIATION KEY, enclosed WITHIN A BOX, must be provided at the end
of the notes [NOT AFTER THE SUMMARY].
 Students must practise choosing the right words from the passage for making abbreviations.
 Pay attention to the presentation and layout.

HOW to WRITE A GOOD SUMMARY

 The summary — based solely on the notes already drafted — should be written as a 50-word
paragraph.
 Begin with the word ‘SUMMARY’ and write the title again.
 Read your notes carefully. Briefly paraphrase [rather than transcribe] the said information in your own
words.
 Link the notes in a proper sequence, ensuring unity of thought and ideas.
 Use suitable linkers to give continuity to the sentences.
 Fluency in expression is a must. Write complete sentences, and avoid abbreviations.
 Use Third Person, Indirect Speech, and the Past Tense wherever possible.